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One of the examples journalists use to explain why bad news is more newsworthy than good news is: "The train arrives at station isn't news. It's supposed to arrive at the station. It's only when the train doesn't arrive that it becomes news."

Well.

Today, we got an initial report over the newsroom police scanner of a train derailment. Our reporters stopped to listen to the follow up. From online guru Michael Grossman: "A few minutes after the initial dispatch, an emergency worker came on the radio and said it appeared the train was just stopped at the intersection and not derailed. He came back on about 30 seconds to a minute later and confirmed that the train was already moving and not derailed."

Then we got an e-mail alert from WXII and WFMY saying there had been a derailment. We called the police department to confirm our original information; there was no derailment.

We filed no story.

Unfortunately, WXII posted the initial report that several cars had gone off the track and overturned.

Twenty minutes after the initial post, WXII updated its story saying there had been no derailment. I don't think that either of the stations sent out an alert canceling the story.

Sometimes, even when the train does arrive in the station, it's news.

Update: On second thought, that sounds snarkier than I intend. The fact is, sometimes scanner reports aren't verified. I'm glad we took a moment to confirm.

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Tags: Reporting, Quirky; TV

Posted by John Robinson on Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 3:57 pm

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jerseyfreeze

July 8, 2010 - 8:56 pm EDT

The scene you describe was easily the best part of my day.

Mike Fuchs

July 9, 2010 - 7:51 am EDT

Several years ago, I remember hearing a dispatcher on our newsroom scanner say there was a report of "smoke in the cockpit."

The next thing I heard was a collective gasp in the newsroom. Reporters and photographers began scrambling into action, grabbing their things and heading to the airport.

Oops. Scratch that. Turns out it was merely a broken warning light in the cockpit. There was no smoke in the cockpit.

WaterBaron

July 9, 2010 - 9:39 am EDT

Dear Mr. Robinson:

In 1997 as an employee inside the Greensboro water works I began feeding you sensitive information that Greensboro water use was declining. You said, "That is not news. Under water conservation, water use is supposed to decline" a la the train arrives at the station is not news.

But water use continued to decline during a booming economy when record numbers of Greensboro building permits were being issued! On top of that, the City of Greensboro had predicted that water use would skyrocket even with water conservation programs in place.

15 years have passed and the citizens of Greensboro still don't know that water use (sales) is lower now than 15 years ago when RanDam was being pitched as the only solution for a city "running out of water."

You know that the citizens don't know these facts ....and you still won't tell them. And at my post-termination news conference you sent a reporter who was on her last day of work at the News & Record and beginning a new job the following week in Texas.

Why won't the News & Record tell the citizens of Greensboro that water sales are lower now than 15 years ago and the City of Greensboro's 1995 projected water needs created to justify RanDam never came true?

Mike J Baron
Greensboro's only water conservation manager
1994 to 1999